<img class="alignright" src="http://0.tqn.com/h/nonprofit/1/3/r/B/-/-/storytellingoral.jpg" alt="Woman telling story to group of children." />
<p>When I wrote about the touching stories in a <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&zu=http://nonprofit.about.com/b/2012/05/07/animal-charity-keeps-recurring-donors-with-a-great-thank-you.htm">thank you letter and DVD</a> from an animal sanctuary recently, it raised some questions for one reader. She said:

<blockquote><i>We help teenagers in foster care find adoptive families and make lifelong connections. [We] Cannot use their actual names or any details for purposes other than finding them families. We're also a small program and teen adoption is more complicated and takes longer than pet adoption....Most of our donors...do meet the teens and/or volunteer with us (or are friends of those people). How do we more effectively move beyond that group, which requires that we convey [through stories] the incredible impact and importance of donations to us?</i></blockquote>

<p>Confidentiality for at-risk clients is just as important as telling their stories to your donors. How do you do both?

<p>I asked two nonprofit experts who often run into this problem. Here are their suggestions...<a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&zu=http://nonprofit.about.com/od/directmailfundraisingtips/a/How-To-Tell-Nonprofit-Stories-While-Respecting-Client-Confidentiality.htm">Read More...</a>

<p><i>Photo: Getty Images</i>

<img class="alignright" src="http://0.tqn.com/h/nonprofit/1/3/n/B/-/-/Ifdy-headshot.png" alt="Photo of Ifdy Perez, Community Manager at Razoo" />
<p><i>I'm happy to welcome Ifdy Perez as a guest! Ifdy is the community manager at <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&zu=http://www.razoo.com/">Razoo</a>, an online fundraising platform that empowers individuals and nonprofits to meet their fundraising goals through online giving campaigns. She's also editor of <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&zu=http://social.razoo.com/">Inspiring Generosity</a>, a blog that gives nonprofits helpful resources on online community management and social media tools.</i>


<p>A lot of nonprofits are on the fence about social media. Social media can help your nonprofit. In fact, there are several reasons to adopt a social strategy for your fundraising efforts. But let's discuss commonly asked questions first.

<p><i>Will it really help my organization? Is it going to take up more time I already don't have? How complicated is it? And is it as effective as they say?</i>

<p>Although these are good questions, they're not necessarily the right ones to ask when you're considering adopting a social media strategy for your nonprofit. Just like any initiative your organization undertakes, the mission, planning, and execution have considerable weight in a successful outcome.
<p><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&zu=http://nonprofit.about.com/b/2012/05/21/what-social-media-can-do-for-your-fundraiser.htm">Read Full Post</a></p><p style="background:#f5f3ef;border: 1px solid #d5d0bf;clear:both;padding:.5em;"><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&zu=http://nonprofit.about.com/b/2012/05/21/what-social-media-can-do-for-your-fundraiser.htm">What Social Media Can Do For Your Fundraiser</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&zu=http://nonprofit.about.com/">About.com Nonprofit Charitable Orgs</a> on Monday, May 21st, 2012 at 01:05:46.</p><p><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&zu=http://nonprofit.about.com/b/2012/05/21/what-social-media-can-do-for-your-fundraiser.htm">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&zu=http://nonprofit.about.com/b/2012/05/21/what-social-media-can-do-for-your-fundraiser.htm#gB3">Comment</a> | <a href="http://nonprofit.about.com/gi/pages/shareurl.htm?PG=http://nonprofit.about.com/b/2012/05/21/what-social-media-can-do-for-your-fundraiser.htm&zItl=What Social Media Can Do For Your Fundraiser">Email this</a></p>